Ethics for the Information Age Ch. 6

Viruses, cookies, spy ware, worms and Trojan horses are all computer related things that I wish did not pertain to me. On our home computer, we have programs in place to defend against these things. For me it is frustrating to have to remember to update though. The world of computers is changing so rapidly that our defensive program can not keep up. My husband's job has him accessing the web on a regular basis and we have picked up viruses and Trojan horses more than once causing us to buy new computers. I understand that some of viruses could actually enable companies to strengthen their systems, but it is still such a hassle that the viruses even exist. My personal experience with these things has not been a good one.

Ethics for the Information Age Ch. 5

Identity theft is something I have no personal experience with. At least two of my friends have dealt with it head on though. One of the cases happened because somebody stole a pre-approved credit card application from her mailbox. They filled it out with a new address and within 2 weeks were spending her credit rating into the dumpster. She did not even know anything was wrong until she was denied a mortgage many weeks later. After 16 mos. it was resolved, but it probably would have been easier to change her name and start over. The person was never caught or punished, but my friend still has to provide proof of her innocence when applying for new credit. The credit card company acknowledged that the change of address should have been a red flag and they have now change their policy to require an extra approval step. People who are at work when their mail is delivered need to be aware of the possibility of this happening. My friend was held financially responsible for some of the damage and her future credit score will be affected.